I remember well when Fatto a Mano’s first location opened in Brighton back in 2015, situated a few doors down from my place and I recall excitedly telling my friends that proper Neapolitan pizza was coming to London Road – which at the time was basically a road with a Domino’s, Boots, and a Co-Op. Since then, the pizza restaurant has seen great success and opened locations all over Brighton, and even one in King’s Cross, London. I am pleased to say that this expansion has not affected how Fatto a Mano approach their food and their original location is still going strong.
Photo credits: WeLoveBrighton.com
When you enter Fatto a Mano, the first thing you notice is their beautiful wood-fire oven, the interior of the restaurant has a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere with a small dining in area. I think the more intimate size of the dining area makes the communal space feel more homely and ensures that you are well looked after by the always friendly staff. Unlike larger restaurants, at Fatto a Mano in Brighton you don’t feel like a single order number floating in a sea of tables.
When I visited Fatto a Mano with my partner we were looked after by Alex, who was friendly, charming, and very attentive for our whole visit. You might be reading this and thinking ‘of course they were nice to you, you’re reviewing their restaurant’ but Alex was just as excellent to every other table in there that evening, and in all my time eating there since 2015, I have never received bad service.
Fatto a Mano roughly translates to made by hand, which is reflected in the traditional Neapolitan style pizzas they serve, each one is made with pride and perfectly unique. I ordered the Pesto, Buffalo & Courgette pizza, which is a white pizza (no tomato sauce).
As a cheese-lover, I usually pick this one on days when I feel that a quattro formaggi may be a step too far! The slow-dried tomatoes, juicy courgette, and bright pesto bring a refreshing lighter dimension to this pizza even though it still has three different cheeses! Buffalo mozzarella is one of my favourite cheeses because of its distinct flavour, and parmigiano reggiano provides that classic Italian umami to the pizza, but the star of the show on this one is the smoked ricotta.
The ricotta elevates the pizza into a rich, warming level and the smoked flavour beautifully compliments and contrasts the pesto and vegetables. The pizza dough itself had been cooked just right, the golden-brown crust was crisp on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. The hint of olive oil brushed on the edges kept the dough’s moisture inside and added a nice subtle flavour which I enjoyed all on its own.
To drink, I asked Alex if he would recommend a wine for me and my partner to share. As I ordered a white pizza, and she ordered a red one, Alex recommended a carafe of the Ancora Rosato. The rosé wine was dry and crisp, with apple and berry notes. It paired wonderfully with the strong flavours of both of our pizzas (my partner had a parma ham & mushroom) and was really refreshing to sip between bites. For dessert, we ordered my kryptonite, tiramisu which is made in-house and always absolutely delicious.
All in all, the service, quality of food, and family-friendly atmosphere of Fatto a Mano is outstanding and – when you consider the fact that a pizza at Fatto’s is on average £10 cheaper than that of the UK’s most popular franchise – I don’t know why anyone would go to a big-logo pizza franchise ever again. Many thanks to the team at Fatto a Mano for a lovely meal, I will be visiting again soon!
Website: https://www.fattoamanopizza.com
Locations:
- 77 London Rd, Brighton, BN1 4JF
- 25 Gloucester Rd, Brighton, BN1 4AQ
- 65-67 Church Rd, Hove, BN3 2BD
